Imola Q3: Ferrari SF-24 optimizes downforce, but lacks handling on curbs and pays for racing lines

Perhaps everyone expected more from Ferrari at Imola, given the performance seen on Friday and Saturday morning in the final free practice session. The Prancing Horse’s team managed to find an excellent balance for the car across various sections of the track. The balance of the SF-24 EVO had not deteriorated compared to Friday; in fact, it had even improved in some respects. The Maranello team confirmed the downforce level chosen in the simulator, and overall, nothing specific was lacking. They experienced a bit of understeer, which was corrected in Q2 by increasing the front wing’s angle and benefiting from the extra grip provided by the red-banded Pirelli tires.
Charles Leclerc did not optimize the middle sector, where he could have shaved off a few more fractions of a second. The main problem, however, was undoubtedly in the first sector, where Ferrari lost about a tenth and a half throughout the Imola weekend. This track might be the first where we saw a setup with fewer compromises, shifting the overall balance towards the rear. The car responded well, which is a positive aspect. The second interesting factor is that the updates worked. However, this Grand Prix and the next one in Monte Carlo will not fully showcase the improvements.
In terms of efficiency, Ferrari should make a significant step forward, which will be evident in Canada. The top three cars were almost at the same level, with differences coming down to so-called marginal gains. Red Bull built their lap in the first sector but tended to lose balance in the third sector, struggling significantly at Rivazza. They probably reached that area with the tires further from the ideal temperature, causing understeer and penalizing the exit positioning.
McLaren also optimized the first sector, finding good speed in the middle of the two chicanes. They had lots of downforce and good handling on the relatively high curbs. The drivability on the curbs at high speeds is crucial as it positions the car well for the second part of the chicane. Moreover, the MCL38 cars gained in every point where top speed matters, indicating excellent efficiency from their latest upgrades. Additionally, they were perhaps the best at using the red compound, managing to exploit it better on average throughout the lap. In their case, handling issues did not appear in any of the sectors.
Looking concretely at the telemetry data and analyzing the micro-sectors of qualifying, in the first sector, the Ferrari SF-24 EVO was the slowest on the straight (330 kilometers per hour for Charles Leclerc versus 338 kilometers per hour for Max Verstappen), reaching the first braking point already with a gap of over two-tenths. McLaren, on the other hand, lost just over one-tenth on the main straight compared to Verstappen, who had a significant slipstream. The first sector was the main limitation for Ferrari on Saturday afternoon. The reasons behind these three-tenths lost were undoubtedly due to lower straight-line speed and a lower apex speed in turn 1 (5 kilometers per hour less than Red Bull).
OUTLINE:
00:00:00 Ferrari's Performance at Imola
00:00:28 Challenges and Adjustments
00:01:16 Sector Analysis and Team Comparisons
00:02:20 Telemetry Insights
00:05:04 Ferrari's disappointment
00:07:00 Top speed
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[@rjs898]

Too much hype but still third under Mc laren. Maybe better to be discrete next time.

[@arthstg]

why bother bring the upgrade if nothing really improved.
they should done this much earlier.

[@charanpalsing2789]

The car is slow.